The Modern Novel

Biography

Diamela Eltit was born in Santiago, in 1949. She studied Spanish literature at the Universidad Católica de Chile and later did post-graduate studies at the University of Chile. She became a school teacher and then a university teacher. She has subsequently taught at universities in Chile and elsewhere.

Eltit remained in Chile after the Pinochet coup and when things had settled down somewhat, she became involved with the CADA (Colectivo Acciones de Arte), a group which challenged the Pinochet orthodoxy.She published her first work, a collection of essays, in 1980, though she had earlier started writing fiction. Her first novel – Lumpérica (E. Luminata) – was not published till 1983. Since then she has published essays and novels. She was, for three years, Chilean cultural attaché in Mexico. Her works hae appeared on various best-of lists. Several of her novels have been translated into English.

Other links

Diamela Eltit
Diamela Eltit
Diamela Eltit
Diamela Eltit
Interview
Diamela Eltit Papers at Princeton
Diamela Eltit (in Spanish)
Diamela Eltit (1949-) (in Spanish)
La narrativa de Diamela Eltit y los límites del testimonio hispanoamericano (in Spanish)
Interview (in Spanish)
Interview (in Spanish)
Interview (in Spanish)
Las tramas del ‘boom’ (article by Eltit – in Spanish)